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I was asked a while ago if I would be willing to be interviewed for an article on Jewish Women in Business and here are excerpts of some of my answers:

What inspired you to create your business? I had just moved into a new house in a new neighborhood and was in between having babies; and a friend of mine who also sewed a lot approached me and asked if I would like to open a sewing store in my basement, foolishly, I agreed.

Were there any areas where you discovered tricks to cut costs? If so, where and how? I started giving classes so that I could save on the cost of a teacher, even though teaching is not my favorite thing to do. We also are more careful in our ordering pattern. We order to restock sold notions but order new fabrics not more than once a month. We also moved from a store front bck to my house so tha I could cut down in the rent and other commercial obligations.

Have you encountered any challenges specifically relating to your being an Orthodox Jewish women business owner? Not so much challenges as venues that I cannot participate in because I choose to be orthodox.

If so, how did/do you deal with the challenge? I do not participate in the many shabbos venues for quilters.

What advice can you offer other Orthodox Jewish Women entrepreneurs? Realize that being a woman today is not what will make or break a business. Being orthodox puts many restrictions on you but you can compensate by working harder and manuvering around the system. Know your business inside and out, network, and most importantly, take some business courses.

How do you maintain a work-life balance, juggling the roles of a business owner and mother? Although any job outside of the home is stressful, if your goal is to work for pleasure because you love what youre doing, you can manage. I love to run my business most of the time. I have also been given the golden opportunity to work with my children. They were always with me when they were small and when they got old enough, the girls work for me, either full or part time, and the boys help with stock when they could leave yeshiva.

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We’ll be going Thursday, May 26 to the American Folk Art Museum at 45 West 53rd Street in Manhattan. There is an admission fee and we’re planning to be there for the 1:00 tour. We’ll be meeting at the Avenue J train station (Q train) to be able to visit B & J fabrics before the museum. You must call to register.

Another thing on our agenda will be a UFO Day. No, you don’t actually have to finish an object, but you do have to bring in UNUSED FABRIC OBJECTS. You can bring in as many fabrics as you want to trade- you know… the ones you have no idea why you bought in the first place! Or just leftovers from other projects you don’t want to use again (or eve think about again!). Fat quarters is the minimum size & 1 yard pieces is the maximum, but you can bring in as many first quality pieces as you wish. If you are interested, please email me! sewmaterialistic@yahoo.com

Take care,

Malke

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Hi, I’m Malke

I've been a quilter for a couple of decades and I decided to share my quilts, methods, joys and thoughts on quilting with the rest of the blogsphere. Please bookmark my blog by clicking the cute "Add This" button below.
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